By Small Means
by Jedi645
Summary: Abandoned
1. Prologue

_**¤By Small Means¤**_

**Sorry about that. Here is the complete prologue to the story. I will sometimes put some historical references in to better some peoples understanding of the story.**

**Also, the new pairing arrangements will be NaruHinaOC, which you will vote on. It _won't_ be a full love triangle. Whoever loses will then be paired with someone else in a vote, the only limitations being _no_ to some girls for various reasons (I will give out a list when it comes to that) and NO GUYS. Period.**

**Now on with the story.**

"Ohayo" Speaking Normally

'_Ohayo_' Thinking Normally

"**Oni" Bijuu/ Jinchuuriki in demon mode speaking**

'**_Oni" Bijuu/ Jinchuuriki in demon mode speaking_**

**Translations and explanations are at the bottom of the page.**

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Konohagakure, the village hidden in the leaves, is one of the, if not _the_ strongest shinobi nation out of the five, which consists of the Country of Fire (Konoha), the Country of Wind (Suna), the Country of Earth (Iwa), the Country of Lightning (Kumo), and the Country of Water (Kiri).

Its training is intense and it takes a lot to even start on the path of a shinobi. You must be totally determined and strong-willed. You have to work for countless hours, refining your technique, you must study scrolls under the light of the moon at night, you must learn the history behind all of the shinobi nations to an extent, and you also have to have survival tests (basically scout campouts on steroids, with the addition of weapons and almost no food given at the beginning). Yet, even though Konoha has seemingly harsh restrictions, there are worse.

In Kiri, you used to have to **_kill_** one of your fellow students to pass the exam, however, this practice was reported to have stopped when one of the past seven Kiri no Shinobigatana Shichinin Shū, Momochi Zabuza, was reported to have killed every other student in the academy single-handedly, thus Kiri, not being able to get more possible shinobi that year, decided to prevent it from happening again.

No, the physical training isn't what makes Konoha so powerful.

Konoha has a lot of genin, chuunin, jounin, and ANBU (the equivalent of Special Forces) within its ranks. However, Iwa had way more shinobi within its ranks, outnumbering Konoha 3 to 1. No, the amount of shinobi isn't what makes Konoha powerful.

Konoha has very strong techniques and kekkei genkai, ranging from the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, to the Byakugan and its fighting style, the Jyuuken. However, the other shinobi nations also have techniques and bloodline limits that are as strong or unique. No, the techniques aren't what make Konoha so powerful.

What makes it so powerful is the peoples, shinobi and civilian alike, dedication, loyalty, and love of their homeland. Very rarely has a Konoha shinobi ever betrayed their countrymen. It is like a family with them. One of the things taught by one of the stronger shinobi in Konoha is "In the ninja world, those who don't follow the rules are considered trash, but those who don't protect their comrades are lower than trash." They protect their comrades-in-arms with their lives.

However, there are those that become the strongest people in the world. They are the ones that get all of their strength from the desire and need to protect those that are precious to them, willing to do _anything_ to keep them safe, even at the cost of their own life.

Kazama Arashi. The fourth Hokage. The Yondaime. Konoha's yellow flash. He is one of these people. He trained to his limits and beyond to get the strength needed to protect his precious ones.

During the third Great Shinobi War, Iwa was attacking Konoha on all fronts. However, Konoha was being pushed back still, due to the fact that Iwa outnumbered them 3 to 1. However, in order to attempt to push back the army of Iwa, Arashi's squad was ordered to blow a bridge behind enemy lines to hamper supplies from reaching them, however, at a certain point in time, Arashi would have to leave his team to do his own mission. One of them was newly appointed jounin, Hatake Kakashi, who would become squad leader of the rest of the mission. Arashi's mission was to go to the front lines to reinforce and help push back if possible. He exceeded the expectations.

Single-handedly with his signature technique, Hirashin no Jutsu, which earned him the name of "Konoha's Yellow Flash", he took out a thousand ninja during the week he was there and made the rest retreat. This was the turning point of the war, which eventually led to the surrender of Iwa and the end of the war.

A little bit after the war, Arashi became the Yondaime Hokage. He was the strongest shinobi of Konoha, possibly the world, yet there was still danger…

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The Fourth looked out his study which offered a perfect view of Konoha. It looked peaceful in the darkness of night, calm. This brought a smile to his face. _'I finally did it. I accomplished my goal of Hokage.'_ However, the next thought made him frown. _'And not even a year after, we are already at risk of being destroyed... How could it have come to this… why is it even happening.'_ He sighed and glanced at the red glow to the north as he pondered this.

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Flashback

One month ago

11:00am

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Kazama Arashi, the semi-recently (The Hokage's usually stay in office for long periods of time) appointed Yondaime Hokage, was sitting behind his desk, battling an enemy that cursed every Kage, whether Hokage or Tsuchikage and usually won the battles. It was called paperwork. However, Arashi was nearly done with his, which was a feat unto itself, due to the amount that came in every morning, however, he did it.

He was hit not with a complex idea, like designing a jutsu that simply signed papers. No, he was hit with a simple idea that made him think about his belief in the other Kages supposed intelligence. He used shadow clones to check each piece of paper and accept or decline the requests, therefore cutting the time needed to finish the paperwork from nearly the full day to only an hour or two.

Just as the Yondaime dispelled his clones and put the processed papers in their proper areas, an ANBU rushed into the room. "Hokage-sama, one of the border villages has been destroyed!" Arashi stood up, instantly going into 'Hokage mode'. "What exactly happened?" Sunao, which was the ANBUs name, hastily replied "the chuunin team that you sent to the waterfront border two months ago returned. One of them is in critical condition. They are currently at the hospital under intensive care. The jounin instructor only said that the city was attacked and destroyed, however, he refused to reveal any more information until he spoke with you." Arashi instantly told Sunao to send the jounin in. The ANBU hastily said "Hai Hokage-Sama" and left, returning a few minutes later with a man of the age of around seventeen.

He had a green jounin flak jacket on over a black shirt and pants, both of them having bandages wrapped around both the shirts and his wrists and ankles. He seemed to have burn marks on his clothing. He also had a single katana strapped to his back. His hair was pure white and his eyes were red, the eyes showing that he was either of the Yuuhi clan or the Eremento clan, however, the hair finalizing that he was from the latter of the two. His demeanor said that he was calm, however, Arashi saw in his eyes anxiousness, sadness, and great fear.

Remembering that the Jounin only wanted to talk to him, he sent Sunao outside the doors to keep anyone from over hearing the report or entering, unless it was an emergency. After the said ANBU closed the door, the Yondaime gestured for the Jounin to sit down. "Now then" Arashi looked at the ninjas profile "Rihito, what exactly happened on the mission?"

Rihito sat down and started with "Hokage-sama, we started the mission as ordered…"

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Flashback

Seven weeks into the mission

8:00pm

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Dan was ecstatic when they first got the mission. It would be an easy mission with some good pay, and it would get him away from the cold feel of the Uchiha clan. The Hyuuga clan was the only other clan that was rumored to be even colder, save a few members in either. He also would be able to hang out with his best friend Kenma, and his third teammate/crush, Maina.

However, their free time was scarce and they had to do a lot of patrolling between the two water fronts, their base being the nearby village. They were nearly done with the mission, only a couple of days before they left to go back to Konoha. (By the way, they are all in the same clothing as Rihito, save it be that only Kenma had the sword on his back. Dan is of the Uchiha clan, Maina is of the Eremento clan, and Kenma is of the Yamanaka clan.)

"Man I'm bored… we have been patrolling this area for nearly two months and nothing interesting has happened." Kenma sighed. "Dan, you have been saying the same thing for the past two weeks. Give it a rest. Either way, we are going back soon, and then you can go back to training and being bored, away from our ears." Maina added in "and we have been able to learn some more techniques from Rihito-Sensei for each of us in nature manipulation. Also, when we get back, we can apply for the Jounin exams, they are only a few months away."

Rihito looked back at his team for a second and let out a small smile. His students relationships were very rare in teams, most either just accepting the others presence down to pure enmity between them until later on. They formed a bond between each other, and as a result, any one of them would give their life for the other in a heartbeat. They were a family. With the majority of the Uchiha clan being stuck up and Maina's parents having been murdered in a fire when she was six, they supported each other when any of them needed it.

Dan became quiet for the time being as he looked ahead. They were nearing the village and it was becoming dark. He thought of the short list of Uchiha that were kinder then the rest. Mikoto and her son Itachi were the first to come to mind. What set Itachi apart the most was that the majority of the kids his age (five) would already inherit their parent's coldness. However, Fugaku-Ojisan, the clan head, showed a little more emotion then the others and Mikoto-Obasan was a very gentle person. Itachi became like his little brother for this reason.

Everyone stopped dead when they heard the fearsome roar of an animal. Not a second later, they felt a **_HUGE_** amount of chakra and killer intent wash over them. Maina fell to her knees and retched while Dan and Kenma looked ashen. _'What could make something so powerful so angry?'_ Was the thought running through Rihito's head as he trembled. He finally broke out of his fear when he felt a small rumbling through the tree he was standing on. He turned around and broke everyone out of their fear when he broke the deathly silence with "We need to get back to the village _now_!" Everyone then started jumping from tree to tree towards the village as they felt the vibrations increase in pace and strength.

Rihito looked ahead and saw a red glow increasing in intensity the closer they got to the village. When they were five minutes away, he noticed a smell becoming stronger. _'Smoke…'_ "Smoke up ahead. Kenma, when we get there, be ready to start extinguishing the fires. Maina and Dan, be prepared for instant combat. We need to protect the villagers we run across and Kenma as he puts out the fires." "Hai."

However, their plans were all abandoned as soon as they reached the clearing that the village was in. They were greeted with the sight of the village burned to the ground, bodies littering the ground in pieces. The few survivors were running into the woods when a massive fireball incinerated them. They turned their heads towards where it came from and saw a sight that would forever be burned into their memories. A giant red fox stood on the other side of the clearing, nine tails flailing in the air. It kept on looking to where it shot the fireball.

Rihito was about to give the order to go back to Konoha when Maina screamed, being reminded of her parents death. The nine-tailed fox suddenly did the last thing they wanted it to do. It turned its eyes right at them. Rihito looked into its eyes and instantly regretted it. Its eyes were blood red with slits as pupils, full of hate and a crazy gleam to them only made it all the more terrifying. When it turned its entire body towards then, Rihito yelled out "RUN! WE NEED TO GET TO KONOHA!" Kenma bolted off with Rihito, however, Dan stayed back, trying to get Maina to come as well. The fox shot a fireball at the pair without any extra power and instantly turned towards the next village and started running towards it.

As the fireball drew closer to Dan and Maina, Kenma noticed their absence and dashed back to them as he started forming hand-seals. Dan noticed the demonic chakra coming from behind him and instantly turned around and went to shield Maina's body when he heard a shout of **"****Doton: Doryuheki" from behind him. He turned his head and saw Kenma spewing out mud that formed into a large wall just as the fireball hit. Kenma turned around and grinned until he heard a crack from behind him. He then shouted "Run!" as the wall was destroyed. The greatly reduced fireball kept on coming towards the group. Dan noticed this and quickly threw Maina into Kenma's hands as he flashed through seals. "Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu" He said as he shot a large fireball out of his mouth at the quickly approaching fireball. He smiled as he finished the technique, however, his fireball was destroyed as the small one hit him in the chest and dissipated.**

Maina was shocked back to reality at this. She jumped out of Kenma's hands towards the fallen Dan and whispered **"Shosen Jutsu"** as her hands started glowing blue. He put them on Dan as she had tears coming down her face. He opened his eyes and smiled when he saw her. "Don't cry Maina-Chan, I'll be ok." He said weakly. Rihito jumped next to the trio and announced that they needed to get back to Konoha and warn them of the danger. He then put Dan on his back and jumped off.

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End of Flashback

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Arashi was shocked at what happened. _'Kyuubi… What happened that made you do this…'_ He called in Sunao and told him to call all available shinobi to the Hokage tower.

During the month, Kyuubi just kept on coming towards Konoha, destroying any villages along the way. They tried ending shinobi to hold it off; however, they only barely kept it at bay. During this time, Arashi was slaving over seal scrolls…

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End of Flashback

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The Yondaime was awoken from his thoughts when someone knocked at the study door. He opened it to see Hyuuga Hiashi. "Hokage-sama" He said as he bowed. Arashi smiled at this and said "Hiashi, you know that you don't have to call me that, unless we around the _boring_ council." Hiashi then did something that he wouldn't do much of in the next fifteen years, he smiled. (A/N: I don't think that I have _ever_ seen Hiashi smile… Ever…) "Arashi then. How goes the research?" Arashi sighed. "I have found a way to seal the Kyuubi and keep Konoha, hopefully, safe. However, I need to seal it into a new born and it will cost me my life." "Since the child will be an orphan, let me adopt him. I would keep him safe from any assassins or the like and he would have a family." Arashi thought about this as he gestured for Hiashi to sit down. "Not yet. When he is around the age of nine, then adopt him. He needs to learn a couple things on his own and if he was adopted by the Hyuuga family and told who he really is, then he would grow to be spoiled and cold, like the elders. However, I plan on giving him the name of Uzumaki in the beginning, instead of his actual family name. When he is deemed to be ready, he will be told by Sarutobi-Jiisan his true family name, thus taking it up as well as the Hyuuga name." A siren called out to the town, signaling that the Kyuubi was only an hour away. "Time for me to seal up Kyuubi. Take care friend." Arashi said as he hugged Hiashi. "Good luck, Arashi." He took a look around his study one last time before he closed the door.

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A flash of light broke the darkness of the night as The Yondaime sealed Kyuubi no Kitsune into a newborn baby that, for the first few years of his life would be known as Uzumaki Naruto…

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**Here it is, the prologue. Someone I know brought up a valid point when writing long stories. Even if they are fan-fiction, they should be able to stand-alone. Therefore I decided to add this.**

**Translations**

**-Konoha- Leaf**

**-Suna- Sand**

**-Iwa- Rock**

**-Kumo- Cloud**

**-Kiri- Mist**

**-Shinobi- (Just in case someone doesn't know) just think of it as "Ninja".**

**-****Kiri no Shinobigatana Shichinin Shū- Seven Swordsmen of the Mist**

**-****Kekkei Genkai- Bloodline Inheritance Limit (just called a bloodline limit usually). It is unknown how these abilities have come to pass, however, it is theorized that demons or other beings gave them to their loyal followers back in the time where they were worshipped like kings.**

**-Kage Bunshin no Jutsu- Shadow Clone Technique. This is one of Konoha's trademark jutsus. It is a Jounin level technique, requiring large chakra reserves to use properly and effectively. Unlike the Bunshin no Jutsu, this makes solid clones that can do actual damage, however, if they are hit once, then they dissipate. They also have the same knowledge and half the speed and strength of the original, making it an extremely effective jutsu. Also, when it dissipated, whether by being hit or self-released, all of the knowledge it got is returned to the original. However, if large numbers of clones have been out for extended periods of time, ranging from five minutes onward, then the original suffers mental backlash from the mind trying to sort out the memories, often resulting in being extremely fatigued and becoming knocked out.**

**-Byakugan- White Eye. It is a bloodline limit from the Hyuuga clan, one of the most powerful. It allows the user to have a near full 359° view of the area around them, only a small blind spot appearing from the last 1°, and as such, most genjutsus are seen through by the byakugan.**

**It also allows the user to see chakra pathways and tenketsu (basically chakra pressure points that regulate the flow of it, whether increasing or decreasing it when a specific one is hit), which allows the use of the jyuuken fighting style with chakra.**

**The byakugan is sought after by many other shinobi nations, some even going so far as to kidnap a main house member (the majority of the Hyuuga are very self-righteous and pompous, believing that they are superior to others. They therefore have two branches, the main branch, which is the ruling one, and the 'branch' family, which are the guardians. It is often seen as slavery due to the fact that all branch members are branded with a curse seal soon after birth that can be used to kill the person with one painfully and when the person dies, the ability is sealed forever by destroying the eyes. The majority of the branch family and a few members of the main family highly disagree with this and try to stop it), usually a child, and kill him or her _after_ taking the eyes, a very painful method.**

**-Jyuuken- The Gentle fist fighting style. This is usually thought of as the Hyuuga fighting style; however, there are variants which use pressure points on the body instead. The Hyuuga method is used by focusing chakra into the users hand and releasing it as the person hits the other person, having a varying number of results, depending on where they are hit. If they are hit in a tenketsu, then their chakra can't reach that part of the body, therefore making it unmovable if it is a limb. If a person is hit somewhere else, then it causes internal damage, such as if they are hit near or at the heart or head directly, then it usually causes near-instant death.**

**In most instances when a person is hit with this form of strike, it causes a lot of pain in the area. However, hitting the tenketsu's is the main way of fighting with it. The main reason it is so deadly is that even a glancing hit, or touch even, can cause paralysis or death. There are many combinations and techniques used with this style.**

**-Hirashin no Jutsu- Flying Thunder God Technique. The fourth was the one who designed this technique and is so far the only one who can use it. It requires a three-tipped kunai with the proper seals on it to work. The technique allows the user to travel to within ten feet of the kunai, the user choosing where in that radius to go, near instantaneously. Arashi gave the kunai to the men to throw on his signal at the Iwa shinobi, therefore being able to travel in-between them all and push them back.**

**-Yondaime- The Fourth (usually means the Fourth Hokage, Arashi, however, it is the proper name for the fourth kage in any shinobi village)**

**-Hokage- Fire Shadow. The leader and (usually) the strongest shinobi of Konoha.**

**-Kazekage- ****Wind Shadow, Leader of Suna**

**-Mizukage- ****Water Shadow, Leader of Kiri**

**-Raikage- ****Lightning Shadow, Leader of Kumo**

**-Tsuchikage- ****Earth Shadow****, Leader of Iwa**

**-Yuuhi Clan- A minor clan in Konoha, their most distinguishing trait being the red eye color. Only a few of this clan become shinobi, however, the ones that do usually specialize in genjutsu, the best example of this being Yuuhi Kurenai, a renowned genjutsu master.**

**-Eremento Clan- The Eremento was one of the major clans in Konoha, before the Kyuubi attack killed a large portion of their family. Their name comes from their bloodline, which allows them to naturally control their elemental affinity after only a couple of days of training, compared to the months or years it usually takes. The majority of their clan also inherited the red eye color.**

**-Uchiha Clan- The Uchiha clan was one of the most powerful clans in Konoha until the Uchiha massacre, which resulted in the death of the majority of the clan. They have the bloodline sharingan, which has many levels and abilities. They also were the commanders of the Konoha police force, which was taken over by the shinobi forces after its loss. The Uchiha don't act as cold as the Hyuuga, however, they were even more cold-hearted with their actions to gain power at the time. There clan was littered with crimes ranging from bribes to assassinations. Very few Uchiha weren't like that.**

**-Sharingan- Copy Wheel Eye. This is the bloodline to the Uchiha clan. It is thought to be descended from the Byakugan; however, it offers different abilities and also unlike the byakugan, it seems to only be unlocked in some individuals.**

**The first ability of it allows an increased perception of what they see, which, at later levels, allows a sharingan user to predict what a person will do next (including what they will say and what they are thinking to a limited extent), which is invaluable in fights. It also allows the person to see through most genjutsus, like the byakugan.**

**The second ability is being able to see the flow of chakra in a person's body, however, not nearly to the clarity or accuracy of the Byakugan. **

**The third ability of the sharingan is the ability to copy any ninjutsu, genjutsu, or taijutsu seen while it is being used, therefore being to learn jutsus at extreme paces. However, they can only be actually used if the person has the proper requirements for it, such as if a sharingan user copied the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, however, they had low chakra reserves, then they couldn't use it properly.**

**The fourth ability is being able to use a light form of hypnosis to 'suggest' to a persons mind to do something, like a specific technique in a fight. All that is required for this is eye contact.**

**Normally, there are three levels to the sharingan, signified by tomoe-shaped pupils appearing around the center one. However, there is an extremely rare fourth level called the Mangekyo Sharingan, or Kaleidoscope Copy Wheel Eye. This level is _said_ to be only obtained when you kill your best friend. The mangekyo sharingan has abilities that seem to differ from each holder of it, however, the most seen abilities are the Tsukuyomi, or moon reader, and the Amaterasu, or shining heaven.**

**The tsukuyomi is one of, if not the, most powerful genjutsu known. It traps the target in an imaginary world completely controlled by the user. While in the real world, the genjutsu lasts only a few seconds, the user can make it last for seventy-two hours on end in the other world, where the user can torture the target by either inflicting physical pain, which is felt as if it actually happens, or by having the target relive a traumatic event in their past or one created by the user countless times. The end result is having the target being exhausted (the brain takes up a lot of energy), if not suffering from a mental collapse. Tsukuyomi takes a ton of chakra to use.**

**The other ability, amaterasu, is legendary. The jet black flames created by it are said to be hotter then the sun and will burn for seven days and nights. However, like the tsukuyomi, it takes up a ton of chakra.**

**-Ojisan- Uncle (not to be confused with ojiisan or ojiichan, which means grandpa or old man. These can also be said with jiisan)**

**-Obasan- Aunt (not to be confused with obaasan or obaachan, which means grandma or old lady. These can also be called with baachan)**

**-****Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu- Fire Style: Grand Fireball Technique. This technique shoots a large fireball out of the user's mouth. Is a mid-chuunin level technique.**

**-****Shosen Jutsu- Mystical palm technique. This jutsu can be used in one of three ways. The first, and primary way, is by using it to regenerate damaged cells on the body. The second is for surgery, where the user focuses the chakra into a blade, effectively making a chakra scalpel. This form of it does not cut the skin. The third way is in combat, where they use the principal of the chakra scalpel to cut tendons and muscles, without cutting the skin. However, in order to do this, one needs to be very precise in their attacks. The first way takes a lesser amount of chakra then the other two.**

**I will add chapter 2 later on. R&R and remember to suggest ideas on pairings and the like.**

**Until next time.**

**-Static**


	2. Chapter 1

**_¤By Small Means¤_**

**Here is the first chapter of By Small Means, I hope you all enjoy it…**

"Ohayo" Speaking Normally

'_Ohayo_' Thinking Normally

"**Oni" Bijuu/ Jinchuuriki in demon mode speaking**

'**_Oni" Bijuu/ Jinchuuriki in demon mode speaking_**

**Chapter One**

Naruto tiredly opened his eyes, finally waking up from his alarm clock. He looked at the time and saw a flashing 6:30 and was thinking why he had to get up. He had a vague inkling that there was something, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. He then remembered that the academy started that day and he only had half an hour to get ready and there. His eyes opened wide at this revelation. '_Crap… first day at the academy and I'm going to be late_' was the thought going through his head as he bolted into the shower. He finished his shower, put on his white shirt and blue pants, and sped out the door to his future.

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A certain indigo-haired girl was sitting down, looking around at the other students at the academy with her. '_Everyone here looks stronger then me… I'll be too weak to be a ninja… everyone will look down at me…'_ were just a few of the thoughts running through her head, each one making her put her head down more, until her attention, along with nearly everyone elses, was caught by three students in the column left of her.

In the chair closest to her sat a guy who had snow white hair and black pants accompanied by a black t-shirt. He was just laying his head slightly back, snoozing. A girl was sitting next to him, seeming to do the same thing. She had jet black hair and wore the same type of clothing. Hinata thought that they looked related in some way (due to the fact that classes were separated by age, she thought that they were twins). Hinata could only see the third persons back, which revealed a midnight blue shirt. However, what caught the people's attention was that they all had specialized weapons.

The boy with the white hair had two charka knives (Asuma's weapons) in a holster on his side, the girl had a coiled whip on her back, and the last person had two long katanas strapped to their back.

While Hinata was thinking about this, a shinobi with a chuunin vest and a scar on the bridge of his nose walked into the room. Hinata's attention was brought back to the front of the room at this and she guessed that this was their teacher. "Hello everyone, welcome to the Ninja Academy" The chuunin said. "My name is Iruka and you will call me Iruka-Sensei as long as you are here. Understand?" A resounding "Hai, Iruka-Sensei" filled the room.

"OK then" he said. "Now I'm going to call attendance. However, I don't much care for clan names so I will only call out your own names. Chouji." Hinata turned around to see a rather large boy with a bag of potato chips in the row behind her. "Mhm… here" and just kept eating. Iruka made a mark on his clipboard and then called out "Hinata." She looked back at the front of the class and said "H-Here" rather nervously. Iruka made another mark then said "Hiroshi." The boy with the charka knives said "here" as well, opening his eyes. Hinata let out a small gasp, along with the rest of the class. They were dark red. Quite a few people were surprised at this and even Iruka paused for a second before regaining his senses. He then continued with "Ino", who also responded with a cheery "here."

Just as Iruka was about to call out the next name, a blonde-headed boy with a fire emblem t-shirt ran into the room, panting "sorry that… I'm late." He then looked around the room, seeing nearly every pair of eyes on him. "Heh… sorry for interrupting" he said, putting a hand behind his head and grinning sheepishly. Iruka just sighed at this, saying "Just take a seat so we can finish." While this was happening, Hinata realized that she remembered seeing the boy before. She then thought back to when she first noticed the blonde.

Chibi Hinata was six, walking with her father, Hiashi, back home. Suddenly, she could feel hate build up in the air. Looking around, Hinata saw a beat up looking blonde kid walking in the opposite direction that she was. When he saw her, he gave off a smile to her. However, Hiashi pulled her to his other side, giving a glare to the blonde and speeding away. Hinata looked back at the blonde and wondered why her father acted that way. Every once in awhile, she would see the blonde alone and noticed that her father was only one of many people that treated him like that. She was wondering about that when she was brought back to reality as the blonde sat next to her. Remembering her manners, she attempted to introduce herself when Iruka continued with attendance, saying "Kane."

Hinata heard a "here" from the person with the swords on his back. From the voice, she determined that the person was a boy. Iruka called out "Kiba", to which he replied with a "here" and a dog on his head barked a "yip". Then, Iruka called out "Naruto". The boy next to her said "here" as well. Hinata quickly memorized his name for future reference. "Nozomi" Iruka said, the girl with the whip responding with a "here". Hinata glanced at the boy and girl that she now knew as Hiroshi and Nozomi, realizing that they were twins due to their eyes and facial structure.

Iruka finished up his role call with Sakura, Sasuke, Shikamaru, and Shino, all of them responding with a "here". Iruka looked at the list one more time, and then looked up at the class. "Ok everyone, welcome to the Ninja Academy…"

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After Iruka went over the basics of the Ninja Academy, he led everyone out to the front of the school so they could give a brief description of themselves if they wanted. They got in a circle and sat down on the grass under the tree. "Class, if you choose to answer, just say your likes and dislikes, nothing like 'I am the best at the game ninja' or anything like that, Ok?" A chorus of "Hai, Iruka-Sensei" rang out. "Alright Chouji, do you want to tell us about yourself?" Hinata saw Chouji sitting next to a laying down Shikamaru, who Hinata saw was looking at the clouds. "Ok …munch…" Chouji said while eating chips. "I like my best friend Shikamaru, eating chips, ramen, and barbeque pork …munch…, and I hate it when people insult Shikamaru or call me fat, …munch… I'm just chubby, hurray chubbies! …munch…"

"Let's see, Hinata, what about you?" Iruka said. Hinata shyly looked back at Iruka. "A-Ano… is it a-alright if I don't say?" Hinata asked nervously. "Sure Hinata, Hiroshi? What about you?" Hinata saw the white haired boy sitting next to his sister. "Sure, I'll take a crack at it." He replied. "I like making weapons and sailing and I hate people who enjoy inflicting pain on others or themselves and people who have no self-control."

"Hmm… Ino, you're up." Hinata saw the blonde headed girl look up from talking to the pink haired girl. "I like my best friend Sakura and flower arranging, while I don't like people who insult me or Sakura."

"Ok, how about you Kane?" Hinata turned and noticed that Kane was sitting next to her. This was the first time she got to see him up close. The first thing she noticed about him was his eyes. They were dark green; however, it seemed as if they had a slight reddish ring right around the pupil. He also had dark red hair just above his neck line. His shirt was a turtleneck and he had black shinobi pants.

"Lets see…" Kane said while thinking. "Well, I enjoy carving things, mostly crystals though, and I enjoy helping and cheering up my friends when they are in need of it. I, however, hate it when people degrade other people. When anyone does that they are just wastes of flesh on this earth." Kane said the last part with disgust and venom in his voice. Hinata wondered if he had seen a lot of this in his life. A couple of other students were also wondering about this when Iruka called out Kiba. "Well, I like dogs, especially my companion, Akamaru. Oh, and I dislike cats" Kiba said, not really surprising anyone.

"Ok then…" Iruka said. "Naruto, you're up." Hinata looked over to the blonde, interested in what he had to say. "Well, I like ramen and old man Sarutobi because he helped me and befriended me when…" Naruto went silent for awhile, looking slightly sad. However, a second later, he was smiling his foxy grin and continued with "and I dislike the three minutes it takes to make instant ramen!" Nearly everyone laughed at this.

After the class settled down and Iruka stopped chuckling, he called out "Nozomi, what about you?" "Ok" she replied. "I like hanging out with friends, going shopping with friends," Hinata then heard a muttered "yeah right, only liking it isn't going every other day and being the reason for the store managers retirement ten years earlier then expected…" Hinata couldn't help but giggle at this.

Kane, who was the one that said that, smiled and whispered "sad thing is, the main way she gets all of the stuff is my profits from selling glass and crystal items… she still owes me from yesterday too…" adding the last part with an aggravated face. He smiled, however, when Hinata giggled again. "Hey, my name's Kane, what's yours?" he asked as he put out his hand slightly. She shook it, meekly replying "H-Hinata…" "Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Hinata", He said while mock bowing with a smile still on his face. "Well, it seems as if Nozomi is nearly done with her introductory monologue. I'll talk to you later I guess." Hinata then realized that while they were talking (mostly him, she realized), Nozomi was still saying what she liked and disliked.

She looked around at what everyone was doing and saw Naruto laying down with Shikamaru, both of them looking up at the clouds, Hiroshi had his face in his hand, slowly shaking it, basically yelling out _'this is NOT happening again…'_ with his actions, and Iruka looked zoned out. Everyone else was just talking with their neighbors or thinking, with only Ino and Sakura listening. However, as Kane predicted, she ended with a "…and I hate people who betray their friends most of all." Hinata could have sworn she could hear a "finally" from Naruto as he sat up, Shikamaru still lying down. After a second, Iruka noticed that she was done speaking and said "Ok… let's see…" as he was trying to remember who went next. "Sakura." She gave a similar response to Ino's.

"Sasuke." The chibi Uchiha looked up and cheerfully replied "I love my Nii-san and I like training to be like him and I dislike his fan-girls, even though it's funny to see them chase him once in awhile, so I sometimes let them know where he is. I also get some money to buy kunai's from them if I give them some of his clothes." He said the last part in a mischievous tone of voice and everyone was laughing until a large amount of killing intent came from behind Sasuke. Said Uchiha slowly turned around to see an ANBU with a weasel mask on his face directly behind him and said "H-Hi aniki… ano… H-How m-much did you h-hear?" Itachi replied with a frighteningly calm voice, saying "all of it." Sasuke paled at this and slowly said "I should run, shouldn't I?" "Yeah, that would be a good idea right about now…" The older Uchiha once again calmly replied.

Sasuke looked back at Iruka and said "I-I'll be l-leaving, sensei." Iruka only nodded as Sasuke bolted off, Itachi evilly saying "You can run, foolish brother, but you can't hide!" and disappearing in a swirl of leaves, leaving a wide-eyed Iruka and a gaping class (the majority at least, Kane holding in laughter, Shino only raising his eyebrows and Shikamaru was still laying down, muttering troublesome…). After a few minutes, Iruka finally said "Ok then… let's finish…"

Iruka then called out to Shikamaru, who only said "it would be too troublesome" (which got him a hit on the head from Ino), and then asked Shino, who only said "No."

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After class, Kane found Hinata and asked if she wanted to talk. "Ano… I c-cant right now, I have to go back h-home right after class t-today." "Alright, I'll talk to you later then Hinata!" "B-Bye Kane-kun." She said as she walked towards Neji.

Kane decided to walk around the academy to see what the basic layout of the place was. One of the things he couldn't stand was not knowing where something was. However, as he went around, near the back he heard a noise. When he turned the corner, he saw a few training dummies arranged for single or team practice. On the third one, he found where the noise was coming from. It was the blonde boy, Naruto if he remembered correctly, training.

He watched for awhile as Naruto practiced, hitting it, then blocking, sometimes being knocked down, yet still going, no matter what. After a few minutes of this, Kane became impressed by his determination and decided to introduce himself. He walked up behind Naruto and said "pretty determined, aren't you?" Naruto quickly turned around, slightly in fear of who was there. As a result, he got hit in the back of the head by the training dummy and fell down.

Kane ran over to him, offering his hand. "Heh… sorry about that, I'm Kane by the way." The blonde took his hand and pulled himself up quickly, grinning and saying "I'm Naruto." "So, why aren't you at your home training with your parents?" Kane asked. Naruto's smile faltered a bit at this. Kane realized what happened and quickly apologized, saying "Oh… I'm sorry." "It's ok, they died a little bit after I was born." Naruto replied, putting his grin back on. "What about you, Kane? Why aren't you with your family?"

Kane wondered how to answer this and decided to reply "Well, their techniques won't work for me until I am slightly older." Naruto thought about this and asked "Why is that? What makes you different from them?" Kane became slightly more defensive at this, however, he realized that Naruto did reveal a part of his past to him, so he should to do the same. "Well, a lot of things, however, in this instance, their technique relies on their bloodline, which I don't have. Their bloodline gives them natural talent to control their nature element. I can manipulate my elements, which are fire and air, pretty well; however, I don't yet have the same abilities as them so I train with myself or friends until I am at their level."

"Why wouldn't you have their bloodline? Were you adopted?" Kane sighed exasperatedly and continued with "You could say that… I was found abandoned, nearly dead, by the side of the road as they were traveling. They searched around for my family nearly, however, they couldn't find them, and so they decided to bring me into their clan. My family is unsure of which clan or nation I'm from. I wondered about it for awhile. My memory is vague of the period before they found me. I was five at the time…" Naruto was surprised at this. "Oh…" Both of the boys were quiet for a little after this.

Kane broke the silence with "So, why _are_ you so determined? What goal do you have that presses you so much?" Naruto sighed at this but then put on his biggest grin yet. "So that I can become Hokage and have people acknowledge me." (Naruto doesn't have any friends yet so he hasn't grasped the concept of his 'precious people' yet.) "A lot of people, for some reason, hate me, including most of the kids that I have met, the only ones that don't are in our class." Kane thought about this. He wanted to help the blonde, so he cheerfully replied "I'll be your friend and help you achieve your goal. I don't know why they hate you, however, you are kind and I will stay with you to show them that you don't deserve their hate. Then everyone will have to acknowledge that you are strong and kind, because all of the Hokage's have to be like that!" Naruto's face kept on brightening when he heard this until it seemed as if it would burst. "YEAH! We will become the greatest ninja ever!" Kane smiled and put out his fist. "It's a deal" he said as Naruto hit it with his own.

Meanwhile, The Kyuubi no Kitsune began stirring from its slumber...

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**Well, how was the first chapter. I will be holding most pairing votes later on, however, I first will lay ot the foundation.**

**Votes in next chapter.  
**

**R&R  
-_Static_**


	3. Chapter 2

_**¤By Small Means¤**_

**I'm back. I plan on making this a long fic, going through all of Naruto's, Kane's, Hinata's, and some other girl's life. Without further adieu, here is the second chapter. **

**And read the A/N.**

"Ohayo" Speaking Normally

'_Ohayo_' Thinking Normally

"**Oni" Bijuu/**** Jinchuuriki in demon mode speaking**

'_**Oni" **__**Bijuu/**__** Jinchuuriki in demon mode speaking**_

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As the next couple of days went by, the Academy started teaching about chakra and chakra control. However, due to the boring state of the lesson, quite a few students weren't listening, whether it was because they were bored or they already learned the material. Some of these were Kiba, Shikamaru (both of them were sleeping), Chouji (who was eating), Naruto (who was trying to talk to Kane about his pranks), and even Kane (who was trying to focus on carving a crystal into a pendant, yet failing miserably because of past reason). "…And I'm going to make it so when I'm getting away, the guys who are chasing me will be hit by some paint balloons…" Finally, Kane had enough (he nearly chipped his pendant) and made a couple of seals, muttering "Shinkan no Jutsu" under his breath, and going back to carving his crystal. After around a minute, Naruto realized that even though he was speaking, nothing was coming out.

Kane saw the bewildered look on Naruto's face and whispered to him "The jutsu will release it when I want it to." He then smiled mischievously at the way Naruto looked. "I'll make you a deal, if you listen to the lesson and pass the pop quiz he will give out, then I will help you with your next few pranks, take the jutsu off of you, and teach you how to do it, K?" Kane nearly laughed at the look of pure joy that Naruto had on his face as he went to determinedly listening. Kane just shook his head as he went back to carving the pendant, which was a sapphire crescent.

As Kane carefully cut the crystal, he thought of his new friend, Naruto. '_He is a very interesting person. I have seen the kinds of things he has gone through and him not hating the entire village is a miracle. They have given him nothing but hate and scorn, save a few people, yet he still wants to be their Hokage, which means protecting them with his life. He keeps on working at his goals, no matter what.'_ He looked over at Naruto, who was writing down notes on a spare piece of paper. _'He also seems to pick up knowledge at an incredible pace, yet he lacks concentration unless he is given a large piece of motivation, such as learning a new technique'_ Kane suddenly smirked as he put the finishing touches on the crescent. _'Or ramen.'_

Kane put the finished pendant into a small satchel bag on his side, then pulled out a small piece of deep orange topaz and started on that one. His thoughts drifted to the shy Hyuuga girl he only observed for a few moments. _'It seems that Hinata isn't too confident in herself. I heard that her clan calls her a failure since she hasn't beaten her sister in spars. It also seems as if that even with her accomplishments, they don't acknowledge them. This is most likely the reason for her lack of confidence. Who wouldn't feel weak with the constant pressure and pressings of her clan. If they just supported her, and cheered her on with her victories, then they would have a very kind and constantly strong heir. Instead, they only have someone they see as inferior and weak._

'_If her confidence was somehow restored, then she would be every bit as powerful as her sister and probably as talented as this so called "genius" of the branch family, Neji.'_ Kane put away the large cutter and took out one for precision, going back to work. _'There is a lot of work needed to be put in both, yet if they are helped properly, both of them could achieve whatever they desire. Lets just hope that it can be done'_ was his last thought as he looked on either side of him at Naruto and Hinata.

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Naruto listened to the lecture, thinking that it would be boring. He wasn't disappointed. However, he kept on listening, if only for the sake of the Shinkan jutsu. _'Listen Naruto, you only have to do this one time, and then you can go back to planning your own form of training with a new jutsu in your arsenal."_ He then fully focused on the lesson that Iruka was teaching.

"Now then, what is chakra in a nutshell, Shino?" Said person looked up with his sunglasses on and monotoned "Chakra is the combination of spiritual and physical energy. This energy can then be molded in various ways, most often from hand seals, which assist in the molding. It can also be molded by concentration alone, or, as a result from it being used multiple times, it can be molded without any hand seals in ways that would normally require them, such as for fire jutsu. However, it usually takes hundreds, if not thousands, of times to have this happen."

Iruka nodded. "That is correct. There are multiple ways to mold chakra into jutsu. With hand seals, you can make chakra do any multiple of things from starting a fire to healing. There are six things that chakra is molded into. Pure chakra, which can be used in healing or other neutral techniques, fire, which can be used for survival or offensively, air, which can be used offensively primarily, however, it also has the possibility for defense, lightning, which can be used for multiple purposes. A famous technique made by Hatake Kakashi, an ANBU captain, uses electricity for an assassination technique known as the chidori. Then there is earth, which is mostly used for defense, however, it can also be used to attack or incapacitate someone, and then there is water, which can do multiple things, however, it primarily is used for offense and trapping your opponents. To mold chakra into fire, you have to…" Iruka then went into a long narrative on molding chakra.

As Kane had said, there was a pop quiz on what they had just reviewed. As Iruka handed out the papers, he took note of who wasn't listening and thought of how he would teach them to pay attention with the next day's examination on unlocking and increasing chakra reserves and control. However, as he passed Naruto, he did a double-take. The number one prankster and loudest person in Konoha, was not sleeping, daydreaming, fidgeting, or anything else of the sort. He was actually _paying attention_. Being wary of what this omen promised (See: End of World), he passed the quiz to Naruto.

He then looked to Eremento Kane, a supposedly good listener and subordinate, calmly carving away at his crystal, only pausing when Iruka handed him two tests, one of which he passed to Hinata. Iruka looked at this scene one more time before he raised his hands in the Tiger seal, saying "Kai" just as Kane widened his eyes and said "don't!"

As was expected, the ninjutsu/genjutsu hybrid was dispelled. Naruto, being the annoying person he is, shouted "HA! TAKE THAT KANE!" and started gloating. As everyone in the immediate vicinity was brought close to being deaf from the combined voices of Naruto and Kiba (who was yelling "SHUT IT!" in the background), Kane made a couple more seals and whispered "Masu Shinkan no Jutsu". Suddenly, Naruto, Kiba, Hiroshi, and Nozomi all found that they couldn't speak (he wanted to get a little humor, so he decided to also put it on Hiroshi and Nozomi). As silence descended, Iruka looked over at Kane and asked, a large amount of surprise in his voice, "Did you do this?"

Kane looked at him and calmly replied "Yeah, I nearly chipped my pendant." Iruka shook his head and smiled. _'This kid already has great chakra control and will have a large supply by the end of the academy. He also has at least one crowd-control jutsu in his arsenal. Perhaps I should learn it. It would certainly make things easier here.'_ Iruka came out of his scheming thoughts to see all of Kane's victims glaring kunai at him. Kane simply shrugged it off and went back to carving. He quickly added "Please don't do that again. Nozomi alone would give everyone a headache." Said girl was currently being barely restrained from ripping Kane apart by Hiroshi, who knew that Kane could make his jutsu last for days on end.

Iruka simply sighed and passed the tests around. As soon as Kane and Naruto got their papers, they started working on them. After a long bit of anxious writing from Kane, he double-checked his work and, after noting it was the way he wanted it, he looked over to Hinata, who was nervous over her first test. _'What if I fail and everyone laughs at me…'_ (These may not make much sense normally, but she's 8 for Pete's sake! And she's Hinata.)

Kane, seeing this, put his hand on her shoulder and flashed a small confident smile when she looked up. Hinata smiled a bit at this and, with more confidence, went back to answering the test. After seeing Naruto writing down answers every once in awhile, he pulled out the orange topaz and started carving it into a fox-head.

Naruto did the test with what he remembered and then looked around at everyone else. It was nearly time for them to put in their papers and it seemed as if nearly everyone was done. When he glanced at Kiba though, he saw his nervousness, which caused his prankster to come out. Making an evil smile, he pulled a small firecracker out from his pant leg and took the match attached to it. He then lit and threw it in-between Kiba and the person in the middle, while thinking _'Haha dog boy, I'll get you for telling me to shut it.'_

The firecracker exploded and, with Kiba's nerves already haywire, he practically jumped off the chair, which caused him to fall and roll down the stairs. His dog, Akamaru, had jumped on the table before he fell off Kiba's head.

Naruto and Hiroshi held their sides while silently laughing their heads off. Hinata tried to suppress her giggles, but failed. Kiba jumped up and tried to yell various 'colorful' phrases at Naruto, which noone could thankfully hear. Kane took one glance at him and looked away with shock. _'How can I understand him?!"_

Iruka went up to Kiba and told him to go back up to his desk, then went up the steps and stood next to Naruto, who was still holding his sides while laughing. Suddenly, Iruka hit Naruto in the back of the head and yelled "NARUTO! I WILL NOT TOLERATE THIS STUPIDITY IN MY CLASS!" in super-anime-teacher mode (Big head, pulsing vein, the works). After dignifying himself and allowing a couple of the more scarred students to get their bearings, he calmly finished with "You will stay after school for detention."

Finally, everyone finished their tests and the bell rang. "Alright class, I want a one page essay on the basics of chakra and how you mold it." After a large portion of the class stopped groaning, they replied with a "Hai, Iruka-sensei." And walked out the door.

Iruka walked to each of the desks and picked up their papers. When he got to Naruto's desk, he thought about how he would make his life a living hell the next day. _'When the Kyuubi brat fails, I can make him do another harder test and make him fail again. Then he won't be able to graduate. No demon should join the shinobi ranks of Konoha.'_ However, when he looked at the test, he saw that a large portion of the answers were right. _'Seems as if the demon _can_ listen if he wants. I'll give him one of the higher tests next time.'_ Iruka then picked up Kane's test and saw that he got an average.

By the time he got the rest of the tests and went back to the bottom, he felt as if he was forgetting something. He kept on thinking about it. _'Lets see, I've gotten all of the tests, I have the next day planned, including Naruto's test…'_ Then it hit him.

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In the Hokage tower, the Sandaime was busily signing paperwork after he had taken the last couple of hours in sorting it into accept or deny piles. _' it Arashi. You could have at least told me how you managed to finish the paperwork in only a couple of hours before you died…'_ In the middle of his signature, a booming voice yelled "NARUTO!" and shook the entire tower, causing the piles of paperwork to fall to the ground in disarray. Sarutobi went as white as a sheet and silently wept over the long hours he poured into the dreaded paperwork.

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As everyone left, Kane half-mindedly brought his hand up in the half tiger seal and said "Kai" under his breath, causing the Masu Shinkan to release. But his thoughts were on other matters _'So I can read lips fluently… Kuso. I need to sort this out. I'll talk with Itachi-sensei about it today.'_ He then patted the small pouch on his hip. _'Both are nearly done, all I need is to add on the wiring and'_ Just then, Naruto popped up right in-front to him and practically yelled "Hey Kane, want to go train?!"

When Naruto opened his eyes, he saw Kane gripping his chest and breathing heavily. Kane send a quick glare over to Naruto and started walking again when he reigned in his inner-voice, which was yelling for some sword training on a live target.

Finally, Kane said "Not right now Naruto. I need to do a couple of things at home. I'll train with you later, OK?" Naruto sighed then bounced right back up. "OK! Tomorrow then! Bye Kane!" The red-head simply smiled and replied "See ya later Naruto" as the blonde ran off.

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Naruto went back to the training dummies in the back of the academy and started hitting and blocking again, eventually falling into the same routine he had before. When he fell, he just got right back up and started again, slowly increasing his reflexes. As he did this, he kept on repeating _'I'll protect my precious people by becoming Hokage!'_ (A/N He's an eight year old kid, their minds work differently at that age) as a mantra.

However, as had happened the day before, someone was watching our favorite blonde Jinchuuriki. The lavender eyed girl continued to watch in fascination. Where most other people would have stopped or taken a break, this blonde enigma was pressing on. However, when he was knocked to the ground from a blow to the head, she nearly ran out to help him. As soon as he hit the ground though, he simply jumped back up and continued.

Hinata continued to stare in awe of Naruto. _'H-He's so strong a-and determined… He's everything I'm not…'_ She was shook out of her revere when she realized she only had half an hour until her clan training began. As she ran home, she let one thought pass through her mind. _'Good luck, Naruto-kun.'_

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As Kane walked home with his siblings, the silence started getting to him so he asked what they thought of class. Hiroshi grunted and replied "It's boring. We already know most of the stuff from our family training. The only new thing will be the added geography and history."

Kane looked over at him and shrugged. "So? That just means we can ace whatever subject we've learned so far." After Hiroshi sighed and kept on walking, he turned to Nozomi. "What do you think of our classmates Nee-chan?"

She grinned and said "Well, I know most of the girls from shopping sprees and both of you know Sakura-chan and Ino-chan. In fact, I'm planning on going with most of them shopping again today." Both guys sighed. The only girl that shopped more then her was Ino, and when you're close to shopping as much as her, you know there's a problem. Blissfully unaware of her brothers thoughts, she asked "What about both of you? Are you going to go out as well?"

Hiroshi answered first. "I'm going over to train with Tenten-chan and give her the present." Both Kane and Nozomi knew that they were like brother and sister to each other. Their parents were friends and had both of them play together as children (slightly ironic, considering that they still are children).

"I'm going to finish a couple of things at home then go trick Itachi-sensei into training me" Kane snickered as he thought of what he usually did as _training_, which consisted of being chased much like Sasuke had been the previous day. After he was caught (an ANBU against a kid…), they would talk. This helped Itachi get some time off his hectic schedule that his father pressed on him and helped Kane sort out the vague memories he sometimes remembered or instinctual abilities, such as to read lips.

After a little bit more walking, they finally reached the Eremento clan grounds of Konoha, which consisted of a main house, a main garden and several smaller ones scattered about the area, and various paths to other areas. The Eremento clan was relatively small compared to the Hyuuga or Uchiha clans. However, their number was still relatively high, reaching a couple hundred.

When they got there, they each separated to different roads. Kane walked into the clan grounds as Nozomi turned and Hiroshi kept on going forward. After a few minutes, Hiroshi reached a moderately sized estate, looking like a rather large house for one family. He then walked up to the front door and knocked.

It was opened a couple of minutes later by a brown-haired woman, who smiled as soon as she saw Hiroshi. "Hi Hiroshi-kun. How have you been?" He smiled and replied "Pretty well, got back from my trip a couple days ago and have to start payback training tomorrow. Not nearly as much as in the past because of the academy though."

He shuddered slightly at what they went through for the trip. Sure, going nearly anywhere for a week with a parent was fun, however, the payment needed was pretty high. Before the academy started, they would have to get up at six and run around the village with a crazy guy called Maito Gai. Afterwards, "Konoha's Noble Green Beast" as he called himself, would work him through hitting and kicking a log enough times to make deep grooves in it.

Then the child would proceed back home and, after breakfast, would work with one of the clan members on chakra control and their nature manipulation. After that, they would train in Kenjutsu (Weapon Techniques), then Genjutsu. They would finally finish around six, which is when they had some time to themselves until dinner. Then they went to sleep and did the cycle again the next day. However, they had one day of break they could use each week if they decided to.

He shook himself free of his thoughts and asked "Is Tenten-chan home right now?" Maya's smile increased slightly as she replied "Yeah, she's at the training field practicing. You know the way."

"Arigatou, Oba-san." Hiroshi bowed and ran to the training field nearby. As he did, he thought about his own and siblings skills. He focused on Kenjutsu a lot, often caught practicing with one of Kane's swords. He also used Ninjutsu a bit more then other areas. His Genjutsu and Taijutsu both lacked a lot. The only reason he had chakra knives instead of a sword was… He thought back. Why _did_ he have the chakra knives, better suited for Taijutsu, which Kane focused in (along with a couple Genjutsu and quite a few Ninjutsu), while Kane had the swords? Maybe Kane would be willing to trade one of his blades for the chakra knives. He would only use one blade after all.

He eventually reached the nearby training grounds and was rewarded with the sight of Tenten. Her hair was in two buns on the top of her head as she usually had them. Seeing the blindfold over her eyes, he realized what was happening and simply sat back and watched as the young girl raised one kunai up in her hand. A second later, a target popped up with its customary sound and the kunai was suddenly in the center of its head, a good two inches deep. She took off her blindfold and grinned at her feat when she heard clapping coming from her left. She quickly spun towards the sound and saw Hiroshi smiling and clapping.

"Hiroshi-kun!" was his only warning as he was suddenly glomped by the brown haired girl to the ground. He smiled and said "I take you missed me?" She looked up from his chest with an annoyed pout and nodded. "Of course I did." She then got off of him and kneeled. "So, how was the Fire Capital?"

He sat up and grinned. "Awesome. We got there just in time for a traveling carnival. They had a ton of games and rides, like popping a balloon with a kunai and something called a ferris wheel." Tenten nodded her head, having heard about them from some travelers.

Her family was famous for being the best weaponsmiths in all of Konoha. Whenever Ninja from some of the minor Hidden Villages came along, a lot of them bought high-quality kunai from the store, since their own villages didn't usually have the raw resources available, and if they did, very few smiths could make the amount of weapons needed with the desired quality in a quick fashion. So, as a result, they got a lot of traffic through their store, travelers often telling stories about what they've seen.

Seeing that she understood, he continued "After that, we checked out the shops there and bought a couple souvenirs, one of which was this." He then pulled out an ornamental box. It had the various symbols of the Great Five Shinobi Villages on each corner with the symbol of the Leaf in the center. He handed it to a confused, and then shocked Tenten as she realized it was for her. She then proceeded to open it and was stunned at what was in it. A beautifully inscribed tanto was in the center of it. The handle and sheath were made of polished rosewood and had golden kanji on the sheath. The handle itself had golden lines running along the wood, constantly curving until it reached the separator, where it connected into one solid line of gold.

She took the blade out of its sheath and saw the magnificent worksmanship from the polished metal. The blade itself was smooth and sharp, being able to be used for more then just show. She put it all back in and, after putting it to the side, glomped him again. Being caught in the moment, she kissed his cheek, which made both of their faces turn bright red and their bodies freeze. She then stuttered out a thank you and was quiet for a bit more, both of them thinking about the kiss.

A bit away, Maya was sitting on a tree branch, watching both of the children. She nearly laughed at their reactions and was touched that he would get something like that for her daughter. She was also a Shinobi blacksmith, so she knew how expensive something like that would be. After seeing a few more words pass between them and both of them proceeding to come back, she decided to leave before she was caught, but not before seeing how their hands were connected and the small smiles on their faces.

¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤

_**A/N: **__I apologize. I got lost on the road of life._

_I have decided on most everything for this story. And everything announced might be true and it might not be. There WILL be crushes on separate people and mostly this will be a friendship fic this early on. However, I will soon be reaching a time skip (After next chapter I think), which will propel their ages to around 12. The true romance won't start for another few years. Some of the smaller pairings I will want opinions on (Such as Hiroshi and Tenten or Neji and Tenten)._

_Now then. I have been writing for these few months I haven't updated. Go to my profile and check out my Star Wars story. It is… read it and find out. I won't spoil the surprises in it. Also, there's a vote going on in it that I need feedback from. Read the first chapter and post your thoughts and ideas._

_Back to the chapter. Love it? Hate it? Want more of it?_

_Alright. First up, what did you think about the character build-up, such as with the Eremento twins, Kane, and Tenten? Was it done well enough?_

_Also, who wants Itachi to be a good/bad guy? Will change the story later on quite a bit. However, the Uchiha Massacre will be occurring in at least the next chapter so vote._

_Lastly, who here wants Hiroshi and Tenten to be paired up? I like Neji still so I'd put him with someone else (Maybe Sakura or an OC?)._

_That's it for now. Going to update later on in the year. Most likely sooner then later. Most games bore me now so I have free time._

_Ja ne._

\-§-/

**Translations:**

**-Chidori- One Thousand Birds. Will be explained later on.**

**-Kai- Release. Used to dispel genjutsu usually, however, also dispels specific ninjutsu, such as the Shinkan Jutsu.**

**-Shinkan no Jutsu- Silence Technique. Takes up a small amount of chakra, however, it takes a fair amount of chakra control to pull off. As it can easily be released by beings that can control their chakra, it is usually used on particularly annoying civilians. The Masu Shinkan no Jutsu covers a wider area and silences the people the user is focusing on. Requires more concentration then the basic Shinkan. It is often used to quiet civilian disturbances, such as riots or gangs.**

**-Kuso- Damn it.**

**-Arigatou- Thank you.**

**-Oba-san- Aunt**


	4. Quick AN

**Sorry about this, but I need those votes from the last chapter, one of which was about Itachi. After I get a couple of votes, I'll write out the chapter and post it up.**

**Thanks.**

**/-§-\**


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